My City My Responsibility - Sustainable initiatives in and around Pune Part I

Dear All, 

Sustainable Initiatives in Borvha

As I mentioned in my last blog on Sustainable Bhuj, it was a delight to see all the sustainable initiatives happening around us, however after returning, it was overwhelming to see more of such initiatives happening around Pune as well. I feel like I am immersed in Sustainability and would like to share my experience on the same.

Under our initiative on Showcasing Sustainable Practices, Vaayu Mitra collaborated with us once again for sharing the story of Borvha village. This village won third prize at the State level under the Paani foundation's Water Cup initiative this year, while last year they bagged the first prize at the Block level. They were in Pune for the award ceremony and Vaayu Mitra proposed to tap them to give us the insights on their initiatives and the motivation that led them here. 

Located in the Washim district, Mangrulpir block, Borvha is tiny hamlet having 350 people that reduced to half due to migration for work. Inspite of having a river surrounding the village on three sides, the village depended on water tankers during summers. This led to the anxiousness among the villagers and led to a movement "we have to solve our own problem". They enrolled in the Paani Foundation movement and then there was no looking back. It was indeed inspiring to listen to Santosh Walke, the innovator and the visionary in the village who understood that cities like Pune are facing the problem of inmigration from villages while villages are short of people thus creating an unsustainability trap. So why not make villages self sufficient and create better economic opportunities so that migration from villages to cities would reduce. I was astonished to hear this from a villager, who impressed me with his down to earth attitude and sense of responsibility to make his village Sustainable by 2022. 

Several initiatives undertaken in the village include efficient management of water, manpower, food and land through watershed management and energy and waste management through the use of biogas plant installed by Vaayu-Mitra. These initiatives are enabling them to go LPG free, mosquito free, encroachment free and defecation free village.  

Apart from these, innovative ideas to eradicate social taboos like female infanticide or dowry, all villagers decided to celebrate every girl's birth and contribute for her wedding expenses complying the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme. Concept of community farming is being practiced here that enabled community participation. Initiatives for women empowerment, bachat bank and water cup training center enabled income generation opportunities for youth. They are also exploring the drone technology etc and has plans for sustainable tourism as well.

So if you are looking for investing in a property in a rural location, you should definitely check out this place!!!

I feel the village is a good example that complies with most of the SDG goals that need to be accomplished by 2030.

Glimpses of the session in Indradhanushya hall

Overall a great experience and lots of learnings from a tiny village showcasing applied sustainability. I am grateful to Vaayu Mitra and all the Borvha villagers for taking time out for us and giving us the insights into their amazing work. 

In the next blog I will be writing about Sustainable initiatives in an educational institute in a small rural town, where we got the opportunity to talk about Carbon Neutrality. However when we saw the campus, we felt that with all the initiatives they have undertaken already on their campus, they may already be Carbon Neutral or even Carbon Negative. So stay tuned!!!!

Pournima Agarkar. 

www.samuchit.com

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My City My Responsibility - Can Pune Smartly Tackle the Floods!!!

Dear All, 

There's too much of news flooding about areas around us drowning into water, bridges closed due to water discharge from the dams, shifting of informal settlements near low lying areas to safe areas, parking areas of many housing societies flooded since they are built in the flood zones etc.. Yet I thought of penning down about the same issues, since last year around the same time, Kerala faced terrible floods. I remember writing that Pune is not far from such a situation. So here WE are... if the rains continue with the same pace or heavier we are likely to face terrible floods, I hope not too. However, I would like to ask the same question again as I did last year... Are we really prepared for any such disaster???

No, I don't think so.. to start with I feel we don't even have a common portal where we can get all the required information about areas flooded, total rains that will occur in this week, precautions to be taken in such situations, emergency contact nos, relief centers etc etc...Everyone just forwards messages from #Whatsapp or #Twitter randomly flooding the phones with loads of information but not really sure about the authenticity of the information. This creates more panic rather than precaution. Whatever measures are being taken are simply reactive instead of being proactive. We cannot be proactive because there is no appropriate infrastructure set that will inform us about the rains well in advance so that we can equip ourselves accordingly.

PC: Pune mirror news on VMD screen

However, we do have some systems installed in the SMART city under the SMART city mission by the Pune Smart City Development Corporation as SMART elements which I think is great!!! But these systems are not equipped or programmed or not functioning in order to help us in such situations. For instance, we have the smart screens known as Variable Message Display (VMD) screens that mostly show us the time taken to travel from one place to another just like google maps. Yes we need real time traffic information, but what about other information that these screens should display like key notices about roads closed, etc., in such situations... There are other elements as well such as the emergency call box, flood sensors, public address systems etc... You can find information about these systems here

So, why can't these screens display messages of areas ahead that are flooded or safe for travel. They can also display information regarding safety measures to be taken, area specific rain forecasts, display emergency numbers or locations of relief centers based on the situation in that particular area. I think these initiatives will be SMART only when they enable us to sustain in difficult situations. 

A recent news on VMD was published in Pune mirror, it seems no action has been undertaken after this news as well.

I think we as citizens should raise our voice for our safety now. I would like to invite suggestions from all of you as to what can be done in order to save Pune from this grave situation. What all measures we as citizens should take now in order to keep Pune from drowning!!! 

Please write back to us on pournima@samuchit.com OR give your comments in this blog OR write to us on our Facebook page.

Pournima Agarkar.

www.samuchit.com

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My City My Responsibility - Quest for Sustainability in Bhuj

Dear All, 

Through our project work on Sustainably Smart Pune 2030 and Citizens Charter & Action Agenda for Sustainable 2030 me and Dr Karve were invited to attend a consultation in Bhuj on Sustainability. This consultation was organized jointly by The Department of Earth and Environmental Science, Kachchh University and Homes in the City  (HIC) a network of CSO, NGOs and Citizens' Collective that work towards decentralized and participatory governance, equity and conservation of ecology, slum redevelopment, participatory ground water management and waste management. In this blog I would like to share my experience and learnings from the people of Bhuj.

4.30 am on a highway near Bhuj

In order to reduce our work related carbon emissions we thought of travelling by a train to Bhuj this time. However we had to opt for a flight from Pune to Ahmedabad as the connections available were weird. So we booked a train from Ahmedabad to Bhuj and also for our return journey to Pune. We were all excited to go by train after a long time. However, our excitement was shattered as our flight from Pune to Ahmedabad got delayed and we had to cancel our ongoing train as well. HIC had to book a cab at the last moment for us from Ahmedabad to Bhuj and thus we landed in an adventurous night ride. Adventurous as the driver was super sleepy and needed to sleep for an hour or so but he happened to sleep from 2.30 am to 4 am. He simply parked the cab aside near a random Dhaba on the highway mid of the night. This was scary as well as exciting, we were sleepy but couldn't sleep. I still tried to get a nap but Dr Karve was wide awake. I had to wake the driver sternly but then he rushed us to the hotel soon. 

We had a meeting with the coordinator of this consultation Aseem Mishra later that day post lunch. Our pick up was arranged in a Chaggada (big broad rickshaw just like our six seater) and I was amazed to see a woman driving this rickshaw. We got to know that Bhuj has got two women rickshaw drivers named Asha Waghela and Chandni Parmar. Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan (KVMS) has been doing some great work in empowering women in the city through various such initiatives.

Aseem accompanied us to a solid waste management facility, where we could see wastes was being segregated in to different categories by the migrant rag pickers in an area. However, we saw a lot of biomedical wastes lying around due to a hospital nearby. Mostly it was discarded injection syringes and plastic tubes, since it was plastic it was also collected by the rag pickers without realizing its harmful effects, we even saw their children playing bare footed near the facility. Knowledge about biomedical wastes and overall hygiene is still lacking among the people. however its the hospitals that need to ensure that no waste from their premises mixes with the local solid waste system. In general if we see Bhuj seems to have a major waste management issue. The entire city looked full of rubble and construction wastes lying around. This is sad as well as alarming!!!

The same day we visited Khamir a place where I tried my hand at weaving upcycled plastic mats. It was a fun experience learning to weave on a traditional hand loom under the guidance of a local woman weaver. Khamir is place where you can get a variety of goods made from leather, upcycled plastic, cotton, wool, recycled metal etc. that reflects the culture and heritage of Kutch. A great place for outsiders to buy souvenirs from Kachchh!!!

Later we visited the Ramkrishna Trust near Kukma a place where we could see sustainable practices from an organic farm, a big biogas plant, rainwater harvesting system, solar cooker, gravity grade separater, cottages (huts) made out of eco friendly materials to metal drums recycled to make seating, traditional roofing made out of woven rice straw etc. However, the amply available cow dung that is used in various preparations for health emphasizing the importance of cow dung and urine, reflected pseudo scientific analysis to an extent commented Dr. Karve. I agree with her as well, using cow dung in the form of a small chip and pasting it onto our mobiles to help us being unaffected by harmful radiations was something serious marketing gimmick! But people do fall for such stuff.

From L to R: Waste management facility, us in Khamir and Biogas plant in Ramkrishna Trust

Now I would like to give just a few glimpses of the two day consultation.

The first day of our consultation was held in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science of Kachchh University's SMART Classroom. Yes the SMART Classroom was indeed a hi-tech classroom equipped with white board enabled projector screen that was touch sensitive, a 360 degree camera and decent audio system. Not yet seen any such thing in Pune's academic institutions in spite of being a SMART city.

We were a small group of people for the consultation around 20 of us. I was glad to see a woman as a VC of the Kachchh University in Bhuj. She welcomed us to the vibrant city of Bhuj having diverse cultures and was appreciative of how all like-minded people come together and work towards making Bhuj a Sustainable city.

Aseem Mishra the coordinator of HIC gave a broad background of the city also known as a WALLED city. The city was defended by four gates and the Bhujio Hill however post-earthquake all the walls collapsed and now one can see only the remnants in the old core part of the city. Since then the entire city has expanded three times in terms of area with an increase in population as well. There is no river in the city, however there are several lakes in the city-Hamirsar lake is the largest catchment area. It is an intricate network of lakes, streams, wells that feed the groundwater reserves. There have been no rains in the city since last three years and the Hamirsar lake has gone dry creating severe water crunch in the city. People even said ‘that only when we see water in the Hamirsar lake, the water in our eyes will dry’ People of Bhuj are completely dependent on ground water reserves for their water needs, however part of the water comes from Narmada dam but less than what is supposed to. The value of WATER and the water systems for a common man in an arid region is something that we can never understand having a continued water supply. Learning about Climate change and Sustainability are far off when you are struggling with day to day water needs. However understanding it will definitely help in adapting to such situations. 

HIC has been working since last ten years in collaboration with other local organisations and running pilots that can be easily implemented in the city on a large scale. The only thing we felt is kind of missing is the lack of reaching out to the citizens that are living in the city. Though the locals in the city are few and the city consists of migrated inhabitants, its time they start contributing for the betterment of the city. The outskirts of the city have haphazard development while the old part of the city shows the remnants of the earthquake even after nineteen years. It seems that the city takes pride in the earthquake in a way and wants to keep the remnants as a mark of the historical event that affected so many lives. But the point is old part of city looks really sad and dry and shattered we couldn't see it closely but didn't even feel like going.

Dr Mrugesh Trivedi, Kachchh Univerity, spoke about the potential for carbon sequestration at industry level, community level and research level. The fact that such studies and discussions are happening from academic purpose is a good news. However they have a long way to go since understanding climate change and its impacts was in itself a challenge.

Dr Himanshu Burte, TISS gave a background on sustainable landscapes, relevance of mapping at different scales. Role of interlinkages and interplays is very crucial and needs to be understood when we need to acheive sustainability was something that he stressed on and we were glad that our study on Sustainably smart Pune is based on some of these concepts.

Dr Priyadarshini Karve, Samuchit Enviro Tech, spoke about our project study, the INECC sustainability index that we have derived and how it is SDG compliant unlike the smart city mission goals for Pune.

Jyoti Awasti and Nakul Sharma, CANSA (Climate Action Network, South Asia) showed the impacts of climate change during 1990 to 2010 in the form of rainfall and cyclones that severely affected the city. Recognition of vulnerable communities and the importance of developing adaptation and resilent strategies for them is the need of the hour specifically in urban areas.

Glimpses of the consultation

After the session several site visits were arranged. The first one was a DEWATS (Decentralised Wastewater System). This is a demonstration plant that picks up some of the water from the city's sewage water flow and treats it before releasing it in a stream. It was set up by a local NGO and has been handed over to the Municipality, in a hope that similar systems would be set up all over the city to clean up the city's sewage water and prevent it contaminating precious fresh water resources. However, nothing has happened so far.

Site visits 

Next we visited the rainwater harvesting system implemented by a bungalow society named Jubilee colony. Since a part of the parking area would get flooded every monsoons, water would infiltrate their bungalows and spoil all furniture, bugged of spending money on costly furniture every year, the residents approached a local NGO and they installed an innovative rainwater harvesting system using the parking space. Installing the system enabled increase in the ground water levels as well which the society realized later. But such innovations are required and will be sustainable if they are managed by communities with the help of minor or little facilitation through local organisations.

Then most interesting part of the site visit was the seeing the owner driven community housing project led by Hunnarshala and HIC through a participatory approach. The people in a particular community were fully satisfied with the interventions made by Hunnarshala a local organisation working for skill development in indigenous technologies. Happiness of owning one's house the way you want is something that is really precious. We could see the happiness, confidence and sense of ownership among all the people in the community. This is a perfect example showcasing successful implementation of government scheme on ground through participatory and integrated approach.

The next day was a kind of a closed group discussion as HIC wanted to build on a framework for further actions. My role was to conduct interactive activities for the group. So we conducted our usual mentimeter based polls and our SDG 11 related brainstorming activity. Based on the results and discussions, it was decided that core strategies for Bhuj should focus on showcasing their incredible work to a larger mass in the city in order to get things moving in the required direction. Also a focus on equity, climate change and environmental issues from a scientific perspective needs to be work on.  

Happy us in the train

Definitely we had great enriching time in Bhuj. Thanks to the team of HIC, especially Aseem Mishra for giving us this opportunity. I hope our inputs will help them freeze a framework for Sustainable and climate friendly Bhuj. 

Finally we could travel by train on our journey back to Pune and of course me and Dr Karve had a great time.

See you all next week....till then stay tuned to this space.

Pournima Agarkar.

www.samuchit.com

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Upcoming Events Update!!!

Dear All, 

Kindly note we are conducting two events in the last week of July.

One is our monthly Climate Friendly Lifestyle Workshop in collaboration with Jeevidha scheduled on the 25th July 2019. Here we talk about the basics of Climate Change, help people calculate their contribution to Climate Change using our simple web based Carbon Footprint calculator, and discuss what individuals and communities can do to tackle the climate crisis. 

See the poster and email me for confirming your participation. 

Poster - Climate Friendly Lifestyle Workshop

Another event is an interactive session where we would like to talk to people who are clueless about Climate Change and Sustainability but are concerned about day to day issues. Let's all sit down and learn to connect the dots! We are happy to collaborate with Yolkshire, Aundh for hosting this first session in our own Avengers Series where we will Challenge Thanos with ideas to save the world without killing off half the population! 

So if you know anyone who needs to know about Climate Change and Sustainability but is currently clueless, please send them to our event.  

See the poster for other information.

Poster on interactive session on Water Crisis

Pournima Agarkar.

www.samuchit.com

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My City My Responsibility - Environment Day Initiatives Part 2

Dear All, 

Selfies in the Bus

I know its been quite sometime for the World Environment Day, but I believe we cannot spend even a single day without depending on our environment.

In my last blog I appealed to all of you to use the public transport for a week in June and post a selfie of yourself as an action promoting the use of public transport for mitigating emissions caused due to the use of private vehicles. 

I am glad that the idea was appreciated, but only a few people sent me their selfies, many did tell me they tried using the bus but couldn't take the selfie, some people use a bus for daily commute but are not very comfortable with taking selfies. Few people filled in the feedback form and highlighted some issues with the bus. Seriously a BIG thanks to all I feel that everyone would like to use the public transport if we are able to fine tune the basic issues. It would be a win -win for all. We will have less traffic, less polluted air and less stressful life as driving your own vehicle is really stressful. 

And hats off to all the people who HAVE to or USE buses for daily commute accepting all the issues. I am a public transport user too but I use varied options depending on the time like six-seaters, carpool, autorickshaw or the bus. I should mention that the new Tejaswini buses are quite clean, spacious, in good condition and seem safe for travelling, however the number of buses are few, and they ply on selected routes only. I have also seen the new CNG buses ply on roads but haven't used yet it. However, our old regular PMPML buses, have a hell lot of issues. Every bus is in a sub standard form, windows are broken, seats are sometime broken, shabbily maintained emitting heat and smoke especially when you are about to get down  and you have to wait near the drivers seat, you can feel the heat waves...Apart from this the buses are overloaded beyond its capacity making it vulnerable to accidents on one hand while some buses are running empty at times. If this is not enough, the bus drivers are rash making the whole bus travel super adventurous. As per our online feedback form, for any given route the bus condition has been the major issue highlighted by the commuters. And yes, how can I forget, timing. Timing is another issue which I feel is the most critical component because of which one feels the need to use his/her private vehicle. I think we all can just go on listing the issues endlessly with our public transport.

Its important to note that we are talking only about the buses here, however the problem is bigger, the entire transportation network needs to be revamped. The roads and their condition, walking ways, cycling routes, metros, accessibility for all, affordability, safety, convenience, last mile connectivity etc. The GOOD news is a lot of work has been done and is in process in this direction, we have the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) for PMC and PMRDA now, which is a good guide for assessing and tracking the status and success of each mode of transport. But the BAD news is its implementation is a mammoth task. A lot of organisations, institutions are working closely with the local bodies in order to get it on ground. But this will take some time, hopefully we will have better transport system in future. 

What we can do for now is to get ourselves equipped with such plans, documents, information and ask our local corporators or politicians about them. We need to check if they are aware of such plans and demand for its implementation. After all people's pressure is required for getting things done and we as conscious citizens can make this happen. So lets advocate for such plans, support organizations that promote these plans and use the public transport while we reduce usage of private vehicles (of course where ever possible). 

In case if you need more information on CMP or organisations working in this field. Please write to me pournima@samuchit.com

Pournima Agarkar. 

www.samuchit.com

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My City My Responsibility - Way to go Carbon Neutral for Educational campuses in Pune

Dear All, 

CNC Handbook Released!

On 16 June 2019 INECC, Laya and Samuchit conducted an event on Showcasing Carbon Neutrality Approach by Educational Campuses at the Dr Bhanuben Nanavati College of Architecture (BNCA) Auditorium. My hearty congratulations to all the three colleges namely Pune Vidyarthi Griha's (PVG) College of Engineering and Technology, Pune, Waghire College of Arts, Commerce and Science, Saswad and our cohost of the event BNCA, Karvenagar for completing carbon accounting of their colleges and helping us showcase the pathway towards carbon neutrality. 

The three colleges were guided under Laya's Yuvadrishti initiative. We conducted two workshops for the colleges with inputs coming from Dr Priyadarshini Karve, Prof Amitav Mallik, and Mr Myron Mendes. Experiential learning was very well implemented through this initiative. The colleges got a good hands on practice on how to calculate an institute's carbon footprint and this entire process also helped us frame a 'Do it Yourself' handbook that can be used as a guideline by any educational institute for calculating their carbon emissions. I realized that a win-win situation is crucial for Sustainability.

In this event we also released the handbook and it is available for free with us. In order to avail a copy, please write to me at pournima@samuchit.com.

Prof. Amitav Mallik

Mr. Mangesh Dighe

All three colleges presented their campus carbon emissions data and how they plan to go forward. Electricity consumption (scope 2 emissions) was found to be the major contributor of carbon emissions in all the three campuses. Their studies also highlighted that apart from this indirect emissions (scope 3) through hired vehicles and waste generation (especially for architectural colleges that use a lot of stationary material) also plays a crucial role in generating considerable carbon emissions. However, calculating the same is quite tedious. In spite of the challenges, the colleges managed to report the same which is really commendable. The colleges mentioned that there has to be an incentive for the colleges as well for conducting such activities. Kirloskar Vasundhara festival is one such activity that helped PVG College to form an EcoClub through which they could undertake more of such activities for the college. While Waghire College stressed that having motivated teachers is crucial as well in order to sensitize students for undertaking action oriented solutions to such issues. For BNCA, the architectural course structure allowed them to make the carbon accounting as a part of a student's curricular requirement.

There are two outcomes that emerged from this event and will motivate the educational institutes in Pune to undertake Carbon accounting and go towards Carbon Neutrality.

Firstly, an announcement made by Prof Amitav Mallik, a trustee of Pune International Centre (PIC) and convener of the Climate Collective Pune (CCP), that on the World Environment Day 2020, three Pune colleges that make the maximum strides in reducing carbon emissions and going towards Carbon Neutrality over the past year will be rewarded. Secondly, our chief guest PMC Environment Officer Mr Mangesh Dighe announced that Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) will put all colleges that take up Carbon accounting on a map on PMC's website.

Glimpses of our event

I would like to thank Mr. Dighe for his support and encouragement, and also thank Prof Mallik and  CCP for joining hands with us and supporting us. The event was well supported by our volunteers who were full of energy and enthusiasm and educated the attendees on personal carbon footprinting using our web based calculator. If you are interested in knowing your own footprint check out this link: https://www.climatecollectivepune.org/CPC/

We are looking up to colleges, educational institutes and organizations who would like to take up the carbon accounting exercise for their colleges in order to make Pune's Educational campuses Carbon Neutral. 

Pournima Agarkar.

www.samuchit.com

P.S Now you can make online donations so that we can continue to contribute towards sustainable urbanization. For details email me. :)

MUSINGS FROM PRIYADARSHINI KARVE: Education & Climate Change

Education always needs to be forward thinking. A person studying in an undergraduate degree course today needs to acquire the skills that he/she will require to function 8-10-15 years from now. Educational system therefore has to anticipate and mold itself to the future. 

Is the education system of today doing enough to equip the youth to face the biggest challenge that they will encounter when they step out into the real world? 

This is the challenge of climate change. Climate change has now become a Climate Crisis. What we do with our energy and material resources in the next decade will decide the fate of humanity post-2050. But even if we manage to avoid the crisis, there are certain climate change impacts that are now unavoidable. We need to train young people not only to MITIGATE greenhouse gas emissions which will address the emerging crisis, but also to ADAPT to the changes that past greenhouse gas emissions are already causing. 

We believe that a Carbon Neutral Campus (CNC) initiative is a good way for educational campuses to equip today's youth to deal with tomorrow's climate crisis, while the campus itself becomes a part of the solution rather than a part of the problem. 

If an educational campus decides to go carbon neutral, and track its own net carbon emissions, it is creating a culture of 'living with climate change'. Young people who will experience the culture over the 3-5 years that they will be spending on the campus, will take the habits and learnings with them in their personal and professional lives. 

In 2018 Samuchit Enviro Tech tested out the CNC idea in Pune under the umbrella of a youth-focused climate change themed programme 'Yuva Drishti', in collaboration with our partner organisation Laya. Our focus was on undergraduate education campuses in Pune. Today three colleges have completed the first critical step of measuring their carbon emissions and planning for a low carbon campus. We have learned from the experience, and also came up with a step-by-step 'do it yourself' guide that will allow any educational campus to complete its carbon accounting and plan to go low or zero carbon over a specific time period. 

The start of this blog clearly explains why we are focusing on youth and specifically educational campuses. There is another reason which made us focus on educational campuses in Pune. Samuchit Enviro Tech is part of the Climate Collective Pune, and we are committed to doing our bit towards the goal of CCP - Making Pune city Carbon Neutral by 2030. Pune is 'Oxford of the East'! The city is teeming with a wide variety of educational and institutional campuses. Therefore, we feel that if all the educational campuses in Pune move towards carbon neutrality over the next 5-7 years, Pune as a city can achieve the goal of carbon neutrality by 2030! We can do it! 

Please join us on Saturday 15 June evening (please see poster above) to celebrate the visionary educational organisations that worked with us and have set out on the journey towards carbon neutrality. We will also be releasing our 'do it yourself' Handbook for Carbon Neutral Campus on this occasion. The event will be co-hosted by Samuchit Enviro Tech, Laya, Indian Network on Ethics and Climate Change, Climate Collective Pune, and Department of Environmental Architecture, Dr. Bhanuben Nanavati College of Architecture, Pune. 

I am looking forward to seeing all of you there! 

Priyadarshini Karve

Director

Samuchit Enviro Tech

#BeModernBeResponsibleBeRespectful

   

Samuchit Enviro Tech.     samuchit@samuchit.com     www.samuchit.com 

My City My Responsibility - World Environment Day initiatives!

Dear All, 

The World Environment Day is approaching soon and this years theme is Air Pollution. China is the host country this year. China has been investing heavily in renewable energy, energy efficiency and electric cars. China also suffers the impacts of air pollution to the extent of Beijing city coming to a halt several days during winter due to bad air quality. So it seems China may be the best host for this year's theme on fighting air pollution.

Last year India was the host country and the theme was to Beat Plastic Pollution, as a country we pledged to Ban Single Use Plastic completely by 2020. In Pune, there was a plastic ban movement which worked quite well for sometime, however lack of better and effective alternatives resulted in this initiative taking a back seat for now. However I feel that this initiative did create a consciousness among the Puneites about the ill effects of plastic to an extent and people have reduced using plastic items that are just Use and Throw...I really hope that we will continue this momentum.

Coming back to this year's theme, we all know a lot about air pollution and how it is affecting our health, increasing the number of deaths each year. We are also aware of the sources of air pollution in India. In case of Pune one of the major sources of air pollution has been vehicular emissions. Pune was a cycle city in past (though we are reviving it again through the Pune Cycle Plan) its the two wheeler city still to an extent and it looks like we are heading towards a four wheeler city. This means more dependence on fossil fuels, increase in traffic congestion, increase in travel time per trip and thus increase in vehicular emissions which is closely related to increase in carbon emissions and ultimately causing unsustainability. 

Considering this year's theme lets explore our public transport system. Can we as citizens use the existing bus service for a week in Pune while we commute to our work and back, whenever possible. Lets take any one week in this month and try to explore the Public mode of transport i.e the PMPML buses. Lets use the Bus Week as an action to curb air pollution as an individual. Lets document the experience with our buses and also brainstorm on its improvement and workability for all of us sometime in the next month. Also lets take a selfie with the bus. I am attaching a google form with this blog. Please fill in the form in order to help us document your experience. Click Here.

Some quick observations while using a public transport would be to see if the buses are on time, well maintained or clean, there is place to sit or stand comfortably, safe from theft, stalkers etc, travel time taken, frequency of the buses, condition of the bus, ease of last mile connectivity like whats the distance of the bus stop from your work or office space etc. 

As we are exploring this facility, I would suggest following pointers that will enable us to use the service effectively. 

• We all use smart phones enabled with GPS, there's a feature known as OK Google in all phones. Just type in ' buses near me' in this tab and you will be able to see the nearest bus stop. 
• We all use Google maps, just put your location and destination and select the bus option. You will see the bus number, all buses for those routes, scheduled time of arrival and approx time taken to reach the destination, they also give bus fare sometimes. 
• You can also use the PMPML app for all information related to the buses. 
• Lets be prepared to leave our homes an hour or an half early (i know its a bit too much) to reach anywhere since there is a lot of traffic congestion during peak hours.   
• Lets be ready to walk or take a rickshaw from the bus stop to our destination since many a times we may not have bus stops right next to our destination. 
• Lets see how much that will help in savings on transport for a week. 
• Lets not compromise as well, if its not convenient to use the public transport, however still give your feedback as to why its not feasible to use the buses.

Selfie in the bus

We at Samuchit, LAYA and INECC are part of a study project to make Pune a Sustainably SMART city by 2030 and part of ClimateCollectivePune (CCP) a network working towards making Pune a Carbon Neutral city by 2030. Going low carbon is the first step towards Sustainability and hence we are promoting this idea as part of this year's Environment Day. 

Looking forward to more selfies with the bus. In case of any queries please write to me at pournima@samuchit.com

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Pournima Agarkar.

www.samuchit.com

My City My Responsibility - Access to Open Spaces to all

Dear All, 

Last year, we collected a few citizens' perspectives on certain issues related to Urban Sustainability. These included Housing, Transport, Governance or Peoples Participation, Heritage (both Cultural and Natural), Waste management and Air pollution, Disaster Risk Assessment and Green Open Spaces. For relating it to a broader vision, we used the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework especially the SDG 11 which deals with making cities and settlements sustainable. We compiled all citizens inputs and formed the Citizens Charter for Sustainable Pune. In our event on Citizens Charter and Action Agenda for Sustainable Pune we shared the same document with all of you. On analyzing all the Citizen inputs, we realized that if these inputs are put up as actionable points it will be a good guideline to follow by all.

Previous blogs focused on Housing, Transport, Participatory planning and Management, Cultural & Natural Heritage and Disaster Prepardness for all, Environmental management for all under SDG 11. The last target under SDG 11 is about access to open spaces that are green, safe and inclusive. 

Lets see how can we achieve this one.  

Firstly, there is a need to define the open spaces appropriately, since there are some open spaces which should promote people’s interaction and recreation while there are some open spaces that should have minimal to low human interference so that they are retained as the lungs of the city. Identifying such spaces is essential. Based on the mapping, spaces that are suitable for people’s recreation should be designed in an inclusive manner considering all the stakeholders in the society. Open spaces that are green need to be kept with minimal human intervention and can be used for educational purposes or simply for restoration of the local ecosystem. From our survey we found that Pune has enough of public open spaces but the safety, inclusiveness and affordability is a matter of concern in such places. While we are encroaching upon a lot of green open spaces that need to be restored or simply kept untouched.    

  Individual Level

• Let’s use our public spaces in a responsible manner by not littering or spitting in such space.
• Let’s preserve and conserve our green open spaces like rivers, gardens and parks as well in a responsible manner.

Community Level

• Let’s advocate for safe public spaces for all.
• Let’s work with the governing authorities in maintaining these spaces since community ownership comes with community participation.
• Let’s advocate for an inclusively designed open space.
• Let’s keep a watch that no illegal or criminal activities are happening in these spaces that harm the peace in the city, check the feasibility of working with the governing authorities for volunteering for such purposes.
• Let’s advocate for better sanitation facilities in public spaces.
• Let’s check the feasibility of using these spaces in a creative manner which enhances the social and cultural gathering that reduce the gap between different sections of the society.

Governance Level

• Ensure that public spaces are designed in an inclusive manner considering a holistic approach.
• Explore the feasibility of maintaining cleanliness, through signages and instructions for people in order to maintain the spaces.
• In case of any garden or green area that needs to be created into a public space care should be taken to keep them as natural as possible instead of adding a lot of paving or concrete in these areas.
• Strict enforcement and penalties should be levied on illegal or criminal activities noticed in any public space.
• The fees if any for accessing the public spaces should be affordable to all sections of the society.
• Riverbed areas, hill slopes or hill tops accessed by people should be demarcated as green areas and no construction zones in the Development Plan.
• Ensure that any green public space should promote biodiversity conservation and should be maintained accordingly.

This is last blog in the series of blogs on targets under SDG11. Please send in your inputs and suggestions to us on our Facebook page: Citizens of Sustainable Pune. Also please like, comment and share our page, through which we are promoting Sustainable cities. You can also email me at pournima@samuchit.com.

Pournima Agarkar.

    www.samuchit.com

My City My Responsibility - Environmental Management for all

Dear All, 

Last year, we collected a few citizens' perspectives on certain issues related to Urban Sustainability. These included Housing, Transport, Governance or Peoples Participation, Heritage (both Cultural and Natural), Waste management and Air pollution, Disaster Risk Assessment and Green Open Spaces. For relating it to a broader vision, we used the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework especially the SDG 11 which deals with making cities and settlements sustainable. We compiled all citizens inputs and formed the Citizens Charter for Sustainable Pune. In our event on Citizens Charter and Action Agenda for Sustainable Pune we shared the same document with all of you. On analyzing all the Citizen inputs, we realized that if these inputs are put up as actionable points it will be a good guideline to follow by all.

Previous blogs focused on Housing, Transport, Participatory planning and Management, Cultural & Natural Heritage and Disaster Prepardness for all under SDG 11. In this blog I will be writing about Environmental Management from wastes and air pollution perspective. 

This target under SDG 11 focuses specifically on reducing per capita environmental impacts due to waste generation and air pollution happening in the cities. By now, we all know about the impacts of waste and air pollution. Yet, waste management continues to be a challenge in Pune, and the scenario with air pollution seems to be degrading day by day. In fact waste and air pollution go hand in hand. For instance, burning wastes in open air is a strategy for waste management but it causes air pollution to a great extent.

The UN indicator for this target is all about share of recycling and reusing the waste to at least 50% or more in the overall scenario of waste management. However, in India getting such data at the city level is challenging since the major problem is collection itself. From the Pune's service level benchmark data it has been observed that only 53% of wastes are collected through the door to door collection system, though all of this is properly disposed off as recycled and reused or incinerated. What happens to the 47% waste that is not being collected? How much of this is not coming into the Pune municipal corporation's waste management system because it is being recycled, reused, or otherwise scientifically disposed off at source, and how much of it is ending up littering roadsides, hillslopes, river beds, nallahs, etc.? In spite of having all the standards and policies in place, what is holding us back from effectively managing our waste is the question in front of us. When asked the citizens these were the responses.

Individual Level:

• Lets be conscious of our habits related to waste generation that creates pollution on land or water. 
• Lets monitor our consumption patterns and have a lifestyle that mimics nature where there is no waste, everything is reused and recycled in an efficient manner. 
• Lets show empathy towards our fellow waste managers who toil for managing our waste.
• Lets cooperate with our governing systems and follow the rules on waste segregation strictly by understanding the health risks due to wastes and pollution.
• In order to mitigate air pollution due to vehicular emissions, lets ensure timely maintenance of our vehicles. 
• Lets use public transport wherever possible or walk to distances less than 1 km. 

Community Level:

• Lets try and keep the areas in our locality also clean and free from wastes. 
• Lets raise our voice against illegal dumping of wastes and avoid open burning of garden wastes. 
• Lets advocate for better management of wastes at the society level, for instance for wet waste, we can explore the possibilities of installing a household Biogas system while dry waste can be further segregated and stored at a place and then sold to vendors who recycle. The idea is to ensure that our wastes should not go to the landfill. 
• Lets explore the possibility of using garden waste in an efficient way by simply putting it back to the plants as mulch or can use the dry leaves for making biochar. For more information checkout my blog on Biochar
• Lets advocate for strict enforcement of all policies regarding waste management and advocate for better air quality. 
• Lets advocate for effective decentralized waste management systems. 
• Lets keep a watch on solid wastes that keep accumulated in our locality and cause a health menace. 

Governance Level: 

• Ensure strict enforcement of waste management policies. Management of wastes should adhere to the MPCB norms for segregation and disposal.
• Regarding air pollution, though we have effective monitoring system, there are no effective management systems. There are no strict actions against the polluters. 
• There is a need for enforcement of penalties for the polluters, local body should involve citizens based monitoring mechanisms. Today our rivers are polluted not only due to the draining of untreated sewage but also because of people dumping wastes into them. There is a need to appoint a security checkpost at all entries to the river to ensure that no one dumps wastes into the rivers and assign penalties on the ones who dont adhere to the norms. 
• Capacity building among citizens, members of the local body and local organizations working towards waste management should be undertaken through experts in the field. Its important to develop a scientific attitude towards waste management that helps understand the issue holistically. 
• Emphasis should be given to success stories on waste management and air pollution mitigation measures. 

The list may continue...however, these are a few key inputs given by about 200 people, you can send in your inputs and suggestions to us on our Facebook page: Citizens of Sustainable Pune. Also please like and share our page, we are promoting Sustainable cities. 

OR you can email me at pournima@samuchit.com 

Pournima Agarkar.

                                                                        www.samuchit.com